James r



(No Model.)

J. 11. MQILEOD.

BRIDLE.

Patented Apr W/ TNE SSE S A TI'OHNEYS.

m! mmqmn. umoasumma cumuuv.

WAMINGTON, n1 c.

NITED STATES PATENT FFIcE.

JAMES R. MoLEOD, OF CALGARY, CANADA.

BYRIDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 518,423, dated April 1'7, 1894. Q

Application filed August 26,1893.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES R. MOLEOD, of Calgary, Alberta, Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and Improved Bridle, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact de-' scription.

.My invention relates to improvements in harness bridles.

The object of my invention is to produce. an extremely cheap and simple bridle, which may be instantly adjusted to fit the head of any horse and is practically self-adjusting, which has the function of an overdraw. and nose-band but without using the check rein, which may be used with any'style of bit, and which, when used with an easy bit,'is still adapted when a heavy pressure is applied to the driving rein, to draw tightly against all a horse.

parts of the horses head against which it touches, and which therefore renders the horse easily manageable without the necessity of a harsher bit.

To these ends my invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts, as will behereinafter described and claimed. v

' Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is adetail perspective view of the bridle complete and attached to the head of Fig. 2 is a broken plan view of the bridle, illustrating the course of the cord through the keepers on the bridle top. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the throat latches and their keeper; and Fig. 4 isa perspective view of the throat latch keeper. Y

The bridle is made up of a continuous cord; which may be of any suitable material such as rope,-leather, raw hide, &c., and the driving reins 10, which form a part of the bridle and which may connect with longer lines if desired, extend through the rings 11 of an ordinary bit and they extend upward beneath the jaws of the horse, crossing beneath the jaws and extending through a keeperl2, thus forming throat latches 14 which are held in place by the keeper 12, although the throat latches may be used without the keeper if desired. The keeper 12 is of a generally spherical shape, composed of the curved sections 13,

semi No. 484,091. (No model.)

withfour openings at equi-distant places between them, thus providing for the crossing of the throat latches, as illustrated clearly in Fi 3. I

The throat latches 14, after passing beneath the jaws of the horse and crossing as de-' cord is extended downward over pulleys 19,

which are connected by suitable snap hooks with the bit rings 11, and the cords are then returned upon themselves, thus formingcheek pieces 20, but it will be seen that while the bridle works easier by reason of the pulleys 19, the latter may be dispensed with and the cheek pieces connected directly with the bit rings 11. The cord, after being doubled as described, is returned through the keepers 15,- as shown in Fig. 2, and is extended forward and downward through keepers 21 and 22 on the top plate, and this forwardly and downwardly extending portion comprises a loop in the cord, as shown clearly in Fig. 1, themembers 23 of which diverge and extend beneath pulleys 24 which are connected with the bit rings 11 by snap hooks, as shown in Fig. 1, and the members 23 merge in the nose-band 25 which extends in substantially the usual way across the nose of the horse. The bridle, it will be seen, is thus composed of a single cord, and when attached to the horses head it acts as a noose, so that when pressure is applied to the reins 10 the cord is drawn tight and tightens gradually upon all parts of the horses head, thus bringinghim under control without applying excessive pressure directly to'the bit. It will be seen that a check rein is not necessary, for when the pressure is applied, as described, the members 23 and the nose band 25, are drawn upward, thus pulling on the pul leys 24 and bit rings 11 so that the bridle has all the function of an overdraw without the necessity of a check rein. If it is desired to use the bridle without the overdraw attachment, the pulleys24 may be After too "comprising the members 23 and nose-band a bridle, comprising the usual bit, and a continuous cord having its free ends arranged to form the reins, the cord' extending loosely through the bit rings, crossing beneath the jaws of the horse, crossing again above the top of the head, extending downward to form the cheek pieces of the bridle, connecting with the bit rings, returning upon themselves and merging in a loop adapted to form a noseband and overdraw and connect with the bit rings, substantially as described.

. 2. As an improved article of manufacture, a harness bridle, comprising a suitable bit, a top plate adapted to rest upon the horses vhead and provided with suitable guiding keepers, and a continuous cord the free ends of which form the reins, the cord extending through the bit rings and crossing to' form the throat latches of the bridle, thence extending across the bridle top through the keepers in the top plate, thence downward to connect with the bit rings, thence returning through the keepers on the top plate and merging in a loop adapted to form the noseband of the bridle and connect with the bit rings, substantially as described.

3. As an improved article of manufacture, a harness bridle, comprising a suitable bit, having the usual rings, a top plate having keepers thereon, a keeper for the throat latches, and a continuous cord extending through the bit rings, thence crossingthrough the throatlatch keeper, thence extending upward and crossing through the keepers on the top plate, thence extending downward to form the cheek pieces and connect with the bit rings, thence returning through the keepers on the top plate, and then merging in a loop to connect with the bit rings and form an overdraw and nose-band, substantially as described.

JAMES R. MoLEOD. 

